>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> international condemnation for the american pastor who planned to burn the koran. president obama calls it a recruitment bonanza for al qaeda. a hostage rescue. did police shoot some of the victims? paying less for the daily bread. they hope of food subsidies to prevent violence. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast around the globe. coming up later for you, a new band of brothers as the u.s. troops surge in afghanistan peaks. those in the final deployment talk of their hopes and fears. r weast -- are we finally saying goodbye to the super-skinny model?

hello to you. american citizens are being warned by the government to avoid a controversy. a church in florida plans to publicly burned the koran. there's a risk of terrorist response. the burning is planned to commemorate the september 11 attacks. president obama called it a stunt that would be a recruitment bonanza for al qaeda. indonesia's's president says images of the koran in flames could threaten world peace and damage relations between islam and the west. in india, and where the population of 130 million muslims, said such a and outrage should be prevented. it would inflame sentiments

among muslims throughout the world and cause irreparable damage. noriega maliki -- nouri al maliki has responded. >> the plans of just one man in america have already provoked demonstrations. contactors burn an american flag to show how much they object to terry jones' plan to burn the koran. the pastor leads a fringe movement. the church has just 50 members. his plans have now earned him a personal warning from the president. >> it is listening, i hope he understands that what he is proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as americans. this country has been built on the notions of religious freedom and religious tolerance. >> the president has one

specific worry. >> this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endangered our young men and women in uniform in a rock, in afghanistan -- in iraq, in afghanistan. we are already seeing protests against americans just by but -- by the mere threat. >> at the mosque in virginia, we found plenty of concern. >> i don't want anybody to burn the koran. at the same time, there is recourse. we have freedom of speech. >> we are not here to harm people. we are trying to live a peaceful life, you know? it is following the way. >> everyone we spoke to condemn the the plans. >> i think that is stupid. absolutely. >> why?

>> it is wrong. it is wrong. you should not be able to do that. >> there is no law here against the burning of the koran or even bibles. the constitution itself protects all acts of expression, however hateful they may be. if the pastor want to go ahead, no one has the legal power to stop him. bbc news, washington. >> this is due to happen in gainesville, florida. our correspondent is there now. the pastor seems to think in order to take a stand against militant islam, it is a good idea to offend all muslims. how was this likely to play out? >> we are not sure. the last eight and we got from the pastor said he planned to go ahead with the event on saturday, september 11. at the moment, there are more journalists here than members of

the combination of the church. a local imam has paid a couple of visits to the pastor and he said in his conversations, the proposed building of then islamic cultural center in new york is what has angered the pastor here. many people are appealing and begging the pastor not to go ahead with his plans. fbi agents have paid a visit to the pastor here. that was in relation to the hundreds of death threats he has now been given. we know that in america, you are allowed to express yourself any way you like. on saturday, if he set fire to the korans inside this building, he might be breaking local laws. he does not have a permit to do that. it may be a situation where the local authorities can stop it. he would be breaking the law even though he is expressing

himself. >> it is an impressive list of people who have pleaded with the pastor. there was some suggestion that he might change his mind if there was a direct approach from the white house. >> you have to think that might be something that will happen. we are getting to a situation where one man, who some of view as a crank running a church, has gotten to a situation where the entire world is on high alert. americans are being warned about where they're traveling. local people do not want to go to the football game tonight because they're afraid of being in places with other large numbers of people. that is what it takes from the administration, that will happen. what his reaction will be, we still don't know. it is thursday. we have another couple of days. this is building momentum. >> thank you very much.

you want to the philippines. some of the bullets that killed hostages during last month's hijacking might have come by mistake from police. eight tourists from hong kong died in a case yet -- in a chaotic rescue. investigators say there is a strong possibility some were killed by friendly fire. our correspondent reports. >> this was when it all began to go wrong. police commandos moved in to try to rescue tourists from hong kong held hostage by a gunman armed with an assault rifle. they tried to smash their way in. they beat a hasty -- hasty retreat under fire, trying again when the hijacker was shot dead. the entire saga was broadcast on live television. by the time it was over, eight hostages were dead. under intense pressure, the philippines government launched an inquiry.

ballistics experts brought in from hong kong to help. the philippines police said the victims had all been killed by the hijacker. the evidence seems to suggest that some might have been accidentally shot by the police themselves. >> there were shot that came from afar. not all came from the snipers. we know where the snipers were. >> the inquiry has not reached a final conclusion yet. the president today made clear that anyone who has failed in their duties would be held to account. answering questions put to him by a panel of three television journalists, the president talked of the strain the incident placed on relations with hong kong, saying some of the criticism had been insulting. he promised that he and his administration would learn from their mistakes.

>> we are taking the necessary steps to prevent this type of thing from ever happening again. this incident will not define us. >> it has been a testing time for a new president who came to power promising to restore law- and-order. bbc news. >> sources at the iranian mission to the u.n. announced tehran will look -- will release sarah shourd, one of three americans who has been held in prison in iran. they insisted they were on a hiking holiday and accidently strayed over the border. germany's central bank is saying that someone will quit the board. there has been an uproar. he had asked to step down. he is expected to leave at the end of the month. mozambicans still reeling from the food riots that left 13

people dead. the government agreed it will subsidize the price of bread. mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. at least 50% of the population are unemployed. after years of war, floods, and drought, they rely heavily on imports. >> after a week in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, mozambique is trying to salvage pride. they're celebrating victory day. more than 30 years later, the president has a new enemy, global price hikes. he struggles to feed a hungry population. the consequences have been deadly. police opened fire on rioters last week. 13 were killed, among them two children.

these, the poorest people in an already poor country, angry at the 17% rise in the price of bread. they have seen wheat prices rise by 1/3. the cost has been passed to the consumer. not enough wheat is grown here. 90% of the week in this bread is important. mozambique consumes more than it produces. when international price shocks hit global commodity, the effects here are dramatically multiplied. most wheat is driven across the border from south africa. some comes from russia. the salary remains the same. having to make sacrifices, he said, i need bus fare and food

for lunch at school. there are a lot of expenses. home grown grains have been promoted to ease the pressure on wheat. with limited infrastructure and farmland, it is cheaper to buy wheat from overseas. >> it is very expensive to bring wheat into the country. >> mozambique's's future looks fragile. many years to come, these silos will be filled with foreign grain, vulnerable to the changing tides. bbc news, mozambique. >> stay with us. when life becomes art, the

reality of the baghdad bombing brought to a u.k. gallery. why fuller-sized models will be parading the catwalks during fashion week. first, the u.n.'s new aid coordinator will spend her first day on the job touring pakistan. she went there before setting foot in her office in new york. latest figures suggest 8 million people are in need of emergency aid. 1.8 million homes have been damaged or destroyed. mark doyle reports. >> baptism of fire. her first day as the united nations' top aide official. 20 million people are affected by the floods. 8 million are in immediate need of food, shelter, or medical care.

people have taken refuge on riverbanks trying to regain some sort of normality. valerie want to see for herself what the real needs of these people are. for many, the struggle is too hard. mosquitoes are breeding in floodwaters, spreading fever and disease. politics is never far away. some people say their farms have been sacrificed to save well- connected landowners further downstream. >> i am not concerning myself with those rumors that this point in time because the key has got to be that we save as many lives as possible. >> pakistan's agriculture and its long-term economic future depends on an elaborate future -- elaborate system of irrigation. aid coordinated by the united

nations is crucial. the rural economy will depend on better management of water. bbc news, southern pakistan. >> the latest headlines for you, a recruitment bonanza for al qaeda, says president obama. he warned a florida pastor to drop plans to burn the koran to commemorate 9/11. a twist in the story of the boss hostage crisis. an investigation suggests some of the victims might have been shot by police. public transport in el salvador has been severely disrupted for a third successive day by a strike ordered by a criminal street gang. they ordered a 72-hour shutdown to protest a new law that would make membership in a new gang a criminal offense. >> such as the fear that the

street gangs inspire that the simple announcement of the strike was enough to bring most public transport to a halt. many businesses have also closed to avoid violent reprisal. the government brought the army onto the street and provided military trucks to help people get to work. >> due to the rumors and threats, we have applied a force that i think the population has noticed. we have deployed 2000 troops to maintain public security. >> two gangs ordered the shutdown, protesting a new law making membership in a gang a criminal offense. the law was drawn up in july after gang members set fire to a bus, burning 17 passengers alive. >> they brought a lot in

parliament that anchored the gangs and we are paying the consequences -- that angered the gangs and we are paying the consequences. >> with their roots in immigrant street gangs in the united states, the gangs have grown to become powerful criminal organizations with thousands of members. just this week, the army discovered two buried oil drums stopped with millions of dollars, which they believe are the fruits of organized crime syndicate. the gangs specialize in drug trafficking, arms, and extortion, backed by a ruthless taste of violence that has given el salvador one of the highest murder rates in the world. bbc news. >> turkey's prime minister has called a referendum this evening -- this weekend. he says it will reduce the power of turkey's military and prepare

the country for eu membership. it would make turkey less secular. the european parliament is demanding france and other countries immediately suspend the expulsion of rollmop people. the strongly worded resolution demands strong action by the european commission and member state governments to integrate roma. the top central bank has regulators expected to propose new rules to prevent another crisis. in afghanistan, a surge of american troops as at its peak at 150,000. the final deployment, for some, is the first deployment in a

nine-year war. what is their mission? our correspondent went to find out. >> the 101st airborne are on the move. this regiment served in normandy, vietnam's, and now afghanistan. they said their goodbyes in kentucky at fort campbell. they are the last of 30,000 american troops arriving here. they hope to finish off the taliban and end this war. these new infantrymen seemed un daunted. >> i realize we're in a hostile environment, but we are still around the same leadership, you know? i trust them. i trust their judgment and their orders. can be slow- moving.

they are watching films and readying themselves for what is to come. >> thinking, praying, and going home. trying to make the best. i don't have a lot of down time when i'm up there. >> some are already on the front lines. they have already been swept back. for most of them, this is the second or third tour of duty. the mission is to stop the taliban from heading into the mountains. we are 12 miles from the pakistani border. they will not be able to stop the insurgents coming across the border. they can deter them. having extra troops on the ground will make locals feel safer. the surge has brought this

official to afghanistan for the third time. >> when i was here the first time in 2002, the same guys who fought against the russians, and stuff like that, but now they have been fighting with the u.s. coalition forces for almost 10 years now. they definitely know how we fight and are more prepared. >> these are keen to the fight. they call themselves a new band of brothers. they trust each other. bbc news, southern afghanistan. >> a car salvaged from the 2007 bombing of a historic baghdad street market is going on display at the imperial war museum in london. the vehicle is testimony to the impact of war on civilians and will be the focus for a series of open conversations about the conflict.

>> it has come a long way, this car, a very long way. burned in a bombing thousands of miles away, now a museum piece to remind people of the horrors of war. the prize-winning artist insists an art gallery is not the right place for it. what did he want the exhibit to convey? >> it says different things to different people, but i think it speaks to civilian casualties as a price of military casualties. it talks of a force of the explosion, how the nature of conflict as changed. >> the imperial war museum has a startling statistic. at the beginning of the 20th century, 10% of all casualties were civilians. now the figure is 90%. this is where the car was destroyed. it was in central baghdad, the

site of the famous market. at least 30 people were killed and over 100 wounded when it was bombed in 2007. the date is seared on the memories of those who were there that day. a retired teacher now works as an engineer. he was caught in the attack. >> i was hit in the back of the head and thought i was going to die. the -- the exhibition is a great idea. >> the car, which has already been taken on tour in the u.s., is now part of the permanent collection. it is a symbol of civilian suffering in war. >> let's move to another kind of exhibition. new york fashion we go. today. the fuller figure is being acknowledged and celebrate. size 16 models will show off designs tailored for the larger

american woman. what is going on? as fashion waking up to the real world? is it obliged to embrace curves because of the higher rate of obesity in the u.s.? >> this woman is in the limelight. she is not the traditional shape for a model, but she will be center stage. at long last, fashion is beginning to reflect the fact that not all women are ultrathin. >> it is a great step in the right direction. i hope retailers and people start to see this will be a successful, beautiful thing. >> organizers say that designers are recognizing that larger women want to be fashionable, too. >> a size two women might be able to look of a size 0 model and picture herself in. a size 12, 14, 16 woman cannot. >> one luxury designers casting curvy models in their runway show. they insist it is not just

another fashion fad. >> i think this trend will stay for longer time. it is a healthy trend. >> is it really healthy of the consumer's getting fatter? >> it is not about getting fatter. it is about enjoying life and not minding a little bit of courage. >> for years, runways have been dominated by skinny models. 63% of american women are plus size. not everyone is so positive about fashion close relationship with a fuller figure. for this woman, this is a triumphant moment. curves are no longer being shunned by the fashion world. >> more on that and all the international news online anytime at bbc.com/news. get in touch with me and most of the team on twister. you can see what we are working on on our facebook page.

thanks during much for watching. come again. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? isthere is one stage that the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center -- >> check, one, two. >> and a club in austin. [woman vocalizing] >> it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. >> ♪ the top of the world, and i'm there, i'm home ♪ >> pbs -- the great american stage that fits in every living room. your support of pbs brings the arts home. >> "bbc world news" was